Protection
by SecondAlternateLieutenant
Summary: Papa Mako being overprotective. It's fluff with a little angst and vague glimpses at Bolin and Asami don't blink you might miss it .


"She's never leaving my sight."

"Mako…"

"She's never going to even look at a boy."

"Mako…"

"In fact, I think I'll keep her in our house until she's thirty. No, forty."

"Mako!"

"What?" He stopped pacing to look at his wife with wide eyes. She was sitting in the plush chair he'd managed to buy with one of his first paychecks. Korra's blue eyes were wide with curiosity as she looked up at him.

It took a minute before she could form a proper sentence. "She's six months old." It seemed insane to her. Insane that her husband was so protective of their six month old daughter. She was only a baby.

"But she's my daughter." Mako frowned at his wife as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm not letting anything touch her."

"Not like I will." Korra frowned at him now. "She's my daughter too." She looked down at the bundle of blankets in her arms and smiled at the sleeping infant. "I think house arrest is a little severe though, she can't even walk."

"Good, less mobility means she can't go see boys."

"Mako." Korra tried his name again to get a little sanity into his head. "Seriously?"

"She's my baby!" Mako finally sat, pouting in their direction while he sank into the couch.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Jinora's new boyfriend, would it?" Korra grinned as his face darkened. "She is a fully trained Air-bender with two protective parents, Mako. She can handle Skootchy."

"He's…" Mako started to say 'a street rat' but knew Korra would immediately, and gleefully, point out that he had been one. "I don't know."

"He's a good kid, Mako." Korra cuddled their daughter against her chest. "He's had some help from at least one cop." She grinned and rested her foot on the couch near him and nudged him with her bare toes.

"I don't want her dating." Mako repeated.

"We have at least fourteen years before we'll have to deal with that." Korra rolled her eyes and kept prodding at him with her foot. "Unless your first girlfriend was younger than that."

"No." Mako admitted. "We were still trying to keep our heads above water." He shifted closer to her, pulling her foot into his lap and started to massage it, getting a grin of contentedness from her about it. "I've told you this."

"Yes, I was glad to hear about your few escapades." Korra grinned. "And I'm a little disappointed, you were a big-shot pro-bender, how did you manage to not go home with a bunch of girls?"

"I was waiting for you." Mako grinned and squeezed her foot.

"We know how well you accepted that." Korra rolled her eyes and looked down at their baby daughter. "It's worth it, I think."

"I think so." Mako slid closer. "I do wish I'd handled things better. I know I hurt Asami."

"I had a part in that." Korra admitted with a shrug. "I was thinking only of myself, I didn't consider her feelings then." She sighed at his scowl. "After, I felt bad; I should've apologized to her."

"I think she knew that she and I were over." Mako sighed. "And I felt bad, but she's doing well for herself now."

"I'll say." Korra grinned at Asami's marriage, one that didn't define her. She had her own reputation as the head of Sato Industries; her husband might have sat next to her as her first husband if he didn't have his own reputation. "And we're friends."

"I'm glad she and I can still be friends." Mako nodded and reached for the baby. He hadn't expected Korra to pass her to him, but he grinned and held her anyway.

"And if our daughter gets her heart broken," Korra pressed her forehead to his, "we'll be here to take care of her." She smiled. "Help her heal her broken heart if she ever has one."

"Be a better father to her than Hiroshi was to Asami." Mako murmured sadly. He knew that had hurt Asami more than any of the other events during their struggle with the Equalists. Her father's betrayal, attempted murder of her, and his angry screaming had been nearly too much for her. She threw herself into her work with Sato Industries and built it up to its former glory with a new reputation.

"You're going to be a wonderful father." Korra kissed his cheek gently. Mako was stunned to realize he was crying. "You aren't going to be like Hiroshi."

"I know that." Mako wiped his face with his free hand. "I just want to be _here_ for her."

Korra understood immediately and curled onto the couch next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You will be." She tried to comfort him. "Mako, you're tough, you'll always come home to us." She urged him.

"I hope so." Mako sighed and pressed his face into Korra's neck. "If I ever…"

"Mako, don't." Korra's eyes threatened to spill over at his emotion.

"No, Korra, please let me." He sniffed. "Just, if something happens to me, I want her to have a father figure." He looked at her and pressed his face to hers. "Just, make sure she's got someone."

"Bolin." Korra wiped her own tears. "Who better than her Uncle Bo, right?"

"Right." Mako smiled at the thought. It was almost comforting to know that if something happened to him, his wife and daughter would have his brother to take care of them, at least emotionally, Korra would be alright physically. She was strong, but her emotions made her vulnerable. Bo would be good for her if she needed him.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Korra pressed her face into his shoulder. "We'll both be around to protect her, I know we will."

"Ok." Mako agreed to pacify her, but the reality in his world was that parents could die. His were gone when he was eight, and hers were still around. Senna and Tonraq adored their little granddaughter, and Korra had never known the feeling of losing someone very close to her until Master Katara passed quietly in her sleep a few years before. But to lose a close friend and Master wasn't nearly the pain of losing adored parents.

"She'll be ok." Korra murmured softly, echoing into his thoughts. "She'll have us, ok? Forever." A grin lit her face. "Be my forever boy?"

Mako laughed and met his wife's ice blue eyes. "Of course."


End file.
